Hazardous Chemicals and Waste Sites

Chemicals that get in our body can make us sick. Chemicals can enter our home and yard in different ways. Some can be found in household products that we bring into the home. We can unintentionally carry them into the yard and home from work on clothes, tools, shoes, or other items. Chemicals can move through air, water, and soil from environmental sources such as ponds, incinerators and waste sites.

Some communities have waste sites (such as old factories or landfills) that may contain chemicals. A waste site might also be identified as a Superfund or Brownfield site.

• Superfund site: where toxic wastes have been dumped and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has designated it to be cleaned up.
• Brownfield site: where land was used in the past for industrial or certain commercial purposes. The land may be contaminated by low levels of waste or pollution and could be reused once it is cleaned up.

Chemicals are only harmful if you come in contact with them. If you are pregnant you can expose your unborn baby if they have contact with chemicals. You could come in contact with chemicals by:

• drinking contaminated water
• breathing polluted air
• eating contaminated fish or produce, or
• touching contaminated soil or dirt.

The levels of exposure to chemicals are important, as are other factors. These factors include your general health during exposure, your age and your gender.

The EPA and individual states regulate the investigation and cleanup of waste sites. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) examines how waste sites affect the health of people nearby. ATSDR's findings include actions that need to be taken to protect public health. These findings are released in

• public health assessments,
• health consultations, or
• other public health documents.

The purpose of ATSDR's assessments is to find out if people are coming in contact with hazardous substances and, if so, whether that contact can harm people's health. Members of the public can contact ("petition") ATSDR to ask for assistance with sites in their communities.  

Health and Safety Tips

• Use, store, and dispose of chemicals safely.
• Learn about possible chemical hazards and waste sites at and near your home.
• Learn about the safety of your drinking water.
• Identify possible indoor air hazards.
• Be careful not to unintentionally carry home chemicals from your workplace.

Important Links

• Tox Town: Information About Health Hazards in Your Environment (NIH)
• Brownfields (EPA):
• Environmental Health of Your Community or State
• Environmental Health Webmaps
• Fact Sheets: Exposure to Chemicals Found Around Hazardous Waste Sites and Possible Health Effects From Those Chemicals
• Information About What ATSDR Does and How to Contact the Agency for Assistance
• Public Health Assessments or Health Consultations
• Study on Workplace Chemical Contamination in Homes
• Superfund Sites Where You Live (EPA)